Marshall Football announces 2007 recruiting class

Thundering Herd signs 23 student-athletes

Marshall University head football coach Mark Snyder announced the signing of 23 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent Wednesday, February 7.

“One of the things that impresses me about this class is its commitment to excellence,” Snyder said. “This is a group that is going to work very hard to succeed in all that it does. It is a diverse and versatile group of young men and we were able to help ourselves in a number of areas.”

Marshall’s 2007 recruiting class includes 22 high school players and one junior college athlete who signed at mid-year. The class features student-athletes from 11 different states that span from New Jersey to Florida and is broken down by 12 players on defense and 11 on offense . The Thundering Herd addressed needs on the offensive line, defensive line and in the defensive back field by signing six defensive linemen, six offensive linemen and four defensive backs.

“Our recruiting efforts were directed toward good football players with great work ethic to fit our style of play,” Snyder said. “This was a total team effort by our entire university and athletic department staff and I think our assistants did an unbelievable job.”

Below are capsules on each member of the Marshall class of 2007 in alphabetical order.

DeQuan Bembry (CB/5-10, 185/Hawkinsville HS/Hawkinsville, Ga.)
Rated as the No. 43 overall prospect in Georgia by Rivals.com…selected to play in the Georgia North-South All-Star game…a first-team All-State selection in 2005 and 2006…named first-team All-Middle Georgia as a senior…recorded 60 tackles, three interceptions and accumulated more than 600 yards in returns as a senior…also rushed for more than 500 yards as a reserve running back. 

John Bruin (OL/6-5, 297/Powell HS/Powell, Tenn.)
Started every game of his prep career…team captain and a second team All-State selection in 2006…selected to the All-Region team in 2005 and 2006…named the 2006 region lineman-of-the-year…2006 Class 4-A All-State as a defensive lineman…named to the All-State dream team as a senior after recording 78 total tackles (48 solo) and 18 tackles for loss…he joins his older brother, offensive lineman Zane Bruhin, at Marshall.

Brandon Bullock (DL/6-3, 305/Absegami HS/Egg Harbor City, N.J.)
First-team all-conference and All-South New Jersey selection…second-team All-State pick…recorded 82 tackles, eight sacks and forced four fumbles en route to being named his team MVP in 2006.

Mark Cann (QB/6-4, 210/Landrum HS/Landrum S.C.)
Selected to the 2006 North-South All-Star game…named the 2005 Region 2-A Athlete-of-the-Year…multi-sport standout who was a two time all-state player in baseball and a two-time all-region player in basketball…recorded 5,549 yards passing with 41 touchdowns and five addition rushing scores as a senior…rated as the No. 25 player in South Carolina by Rivals.com.

George Carpenter (FB/5-10, 200/Lancaster HS/Lancaster, Ohio)
The 2006 Player-of-the-Year in the Ohio Division of the OCC…first-team Central District selection and named special mention All-Ohio.

Micah Carter (OL/6-3, 302/Woodrow Wilson HS/Beckley, W.Va.)
One of the top prospects in West Virginia…a Class AAA All-State selection and a first-team All-Mountain State Athletic Conference pick…a W.Va. North-South All-Star selection.

Branden Curry (OL/6-6, 292/Boyd Anderson HS/Hollywood, Fla.)
Ranked as the nation’s #74 offensive tackle by Scout.com…a Florida Class 6-A First-Team selection in 2006…named first-team All-Broward County...played in the Dade vs. Broward All-Star game and the East Meets West All-American Game.

Vinny Curry (DL/6-5, 246/Harmony Community School/Neptune, N.J.)
First-team all-state, all-conference and all-county…served as a team captain and earned Most Valuable Player honors.

T.J. Drakeford (CB/5-11, 190/Independence HS/Charlotte, N.C.)
Recorded 78 tackles, three interceptions, forced two fumbles and blocked two extra points en route to helping Independence to a perfect 16-0 record and a Class 4-AA State Championship in 2006…his high school has the longest prep winning streak in the nation (108 games)…he is a first-team All-Southwestern Conference and All-Mecklenburg selection.

Terrell Edwards (RB/6-2, 205/UMS Wright Prep/Mobile, Ala.)
Ranked as the No. 58 running back in the nation by Rivals.com and the No. 77 by Scout.com…rushed for 1,800 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2006…returned two kickoffs for  touchdowns and averaged 30 yards per return as a senior.

Justin Footman (CB/6-0, 180/Lincoln HS/Tallahassee, Fla.)
Recorded more than 100 tackles, 17 pass break-ups, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass as a senior at Lincoln.

Montel Glasco (DL/6-3, 279/Lackawanna Junior College/Westfield, N.J.)
Recorded 19 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, forced a fumble and recovered another last season at Lackawanna…signed with Marshall in the early period and is enrolled.

Sergio Glenn (OL/6-6, 325/North Forsyth HS/Winston-Salem, N.C.)
A standout lineman at North Forsyth who was named first-team All-Metro Class 4-A in 2006.

Kellen Harris (LB/6-3, 200/Sharon HS/Sharon, Pa.)
Named all-state in 2005 and 2006…a four-year starter that recorded 138 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior en route to being nominated for the Big 33 All-Star Game…was a 2006 Pennsylvania State Champion at 189-pounds…posted a career wrestling record of 126-21.

Corey Hart (LB/6-2, 214/Loachapoka HS/Loachapoka, Ala.)
Recorded 180 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three sacks and forced three fumbles as a senior en route to being named first-team All-State…named Regional Defensive Player of the Year and named to the North-South All-Star game…a Prep Star Pre-Season All-American… placed third in the state in the triple jump as a junior.

Delvin Johnson (DL/6-3, 282/Woodruff HS/Woodruff, S.C.)

First-team All-State selection…recorded 56 tackles, 11 sacks and forced six fumbles in 2006…a Shrine Bowl All-Star Game selection…averages 17 rebounds per game in basketball as a senior.

Johnny Jones (DL/6-5, 250/Clewiston HS/Clewiston, Fla.)
A first-team Fort Myers News Press and Palm Beach Post selection…named second-team All-State…played in the Florida North-South and Outback Bowl All-Star games…recorded 66 tackles, 11 sacks, forced three fumbles and intercepted a pass as a senior.

Darius Marshall (RB/5-10, 188/Baldwin HS/Milledgeville, Ga.)
A first-team Atlanta Journal Constitution All-State selection in 2005 and 2006…rushed for 2,153 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2006 and 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2005…scored 74 touchdowns in his prep career...rated as a Top 50 player in Georgia by Rivals.com.

Shane Moore (DL/6-2, 285/Northeast Guilford HS/Brown Summit, N.C.)
Recorded 75 tackles, six sacks, forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass en route to being named first-team All-Triad and All-Guilford County in 2006…a team captain and a three-time Guilford County Defensive Player-of-the-Year.

Franchez Pitts (DB/6-3, 198/Loachapoka HS/Loachapoka, Ala.)
An all-area selection at Loachapoka that recorded 180 tackles, 17 interceptions and broke-up 36 passes in his high school career.

Chris Smith (QB/6-3, 220/South Point HS/South Point, Ohio)
Rated as the No.1 quarterback in the state of Ohio by several recruiting services…a second-team all-state selection as a junior and a senior…selected to play in the North-South All-Star game…passed for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2006, while rushing for six additional touchdowns…was a semi-finalist for the Army All-American Bowl.

Ryan Tillman (OL/6-5, 265/Hargrave Military Academy/Centreville, Va.)
First-team All-Concorde District and All-Northern Region…honorable mention all Met-Washington Post…played in the Northern Virginia East-West All-Star Game.

C.J. Wood (OL/6-5, 295/Gainesville HS/Gainesville, Ga.)
Rated as the No. 34 offensive guard in the nation and a top 36 prospect in Georgia by Rivals.com…a first-team All-State selection and a North-South All-Star game participant. 

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